By the third day of the tournament, the excitement in the arena had reached a fever pitch. Only the strongest remained. The first semifinal match of the day appeared on the giant screen:
Kael (Eastern Academy) vs. Rumas (Southern Academy)
Just before stepping onto the field, Rota gripped Kael's shoulder tightly.
"Kael... Be very careful with this guy, my friend. You know what he did to Lyra."
As Kael stepped onto the field, a huge cheer rose from the crowd. The mage-knight who had defeated Melina in a single second was back on stage. But Kael couldn't even hear the crowd's noise. Standing directly across from him was Rumas, his face hidden in the shadow of his robe.As Kael approached his opponent, he felt the mana in the air practically rot.
"This guy's aura... It's very unsettling; I don't like it at all," he thought to himself.
Kael decided to end this fight in a single second, just like the one against Melina, without even giving his opponent a chance to cast a spell. He gripped the hilt of his sword. His body was tensed like a bomb ready to explode. He assumed his attack stance.The referee raised his hand,
"Begin!"
Just as Kael stomped his foot to launch himself forward, Rumas lifted his head slightly. From the darkness of his robe, Rumas's single eye emerged. It glowed with an ominous, purple light.Before Kael could even take his first step, that purple glow seeped directly into his consciousness; his body, in its attack stance, had gone rigid.
"W-what is this? I can't move!"
Kael screamed inwardly, but his muscles, nervous system, and even his breath had completely frozen. It was as if he'd been nailed to the ground with invisible, colossal spikes. He couldn't take a single step or even pull his hand away from the hilt of his sword. He now understood exactly what Lyra had meant. This wasn't a physical spell—it was an ominous seal cast directly upon the mind and soul.
Rumas extended his hand slowly forward with a sadistic grin. A dense, coal-like ball of fire began to form in the palm of his hand.
The massive, scorching fireball began hurtling toward Kael, who stood frozen stiff. The heat of the flames struck Kael's face, and the spell drew closer to him with every millisecond. Rota, sitting in the stands, had leaped to her feet and was staring at Kael in terror.
Kael clenched his teeth as he watched the fireball approaching him, screaming with all his might deep within his consciousness:
"Move... Move, come on! Move!"
When the fireball exploded right on Kael's chest, a deafening roar shook the arena. The force of the explosion sent the marble tiles flying into the air, and the entire field was engulfed in a thick cloud of dust and smoke. Visibility in the arena was zero.
The mysterious masked man, who hadn't even stirred from his spot until that moment, suddenly leaped to his feet. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, were fixed on the cloud of smoke. Zephyros, sitting in a distant corner, clenched his teeth, anxiously waiting for the smoke to clear.
At the same moment, Nerya, who was watching the tournament on the magical screen in her home, screamed the instant she saw the explosion:
"Kael!"
Vaelmon immediately came over to Nerya, gripped her by the shoulders, and tried to calm her down.
"Calm down, Nerya. Kael is strong; he won't be defeated that easily.
"Yet there was a tremor in Vaelmon's voice that he couldn't hide."
Amid the dust and smoke, that deep, majestic voice echoed in Kael's mind. Grosol was speaking:
"A human with the Eye of Medusa? Interesting... You can't escape this with magic, boy."
Kael had felt the heat of the explosion, but there wasn't a single wound on his body. Grosolun had protected Kael by activating his own magic at the last moment. The will of a colossal dragon was powerful enough to dispel the curse of the Medusa's eye.
"Your body can move again, boy. I'll leave the rest to you."
Kael took a deep breath. "Thank you, Grosolun,"
The shackles binding his body had suddenly broken.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Rumas turned around, fully confident of his victory. A smug smile played on his face. He was preparing to walk out of the arena with slow, deliberate steps.
But before the smoke had even completely cleared, Kael burst out from within and suddenly appeared behind Rumas. Rumas tried to turn around before he could figure out what was happening, but it was already too late. Kael didn't draw his sword from its sheath; he simply drove the hilt he was holding with all his strength into Rumas's stomach.
The force of the blow made Rumas's eyes bulge from their sockets. His breath caught in his throat. Clutching his stomach with both hands, he collapsed to his knees in agony and then fell to the ground. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.
The referee froze in shock upon seeing Kael emerge unscathed from the smoke and Rumas writhing on the ground. After stammering for a few seconds, he quickly raised his hand:
"T-the match is over! The winner: Kael from the Eastern Academy!"
King Arkonis Thal leaned forward from his throne in disbelief. He turned to the chief wizard beside him.
"Luminos... Did you see what just happened?"
Luminos was deep in thought. His sharp, golden eyes had clearly perceived the flow of essence behind that haze of dust—something ordinary mages could not see. For a moment, the essence of a non-human, far more ancient and colossal being had rippled around Kael.
"It wasn't Kael who broke free from the spell," Luminos thought to himself. "Another being... it seemed to have helped him."
"A truly fascinating young man, Your Majesty."
The Archmage decided not to act immediately, but to watch this mysterious youth closely until the finals.
The second match of the semifinals was between Thalendir, the arrogant elf of the East, and Ronan, the light mage from the elite geniuses of the Central Kingdom. Thalendir entered the arena with his usual demeanor and twirled his staff between his fingers. The mage from the Central Kingdom, however, struck his staff against the ground without uttering a single word.
When the battle began, Thalendir quickly took position and hurled his wind blades. However, Ronan had cast a reflective defensive spell. All the wind blades Thalendir threw struck the shield and bounced back at him at double the speed!
Though Thalendir leaped backward in shock, he lost his balance due to the effect of his own spell. The moment Ronan raised his staff toward the sky, a massive beam of light descended from the arena's ceiling toward Thalendir. Thalendir tried to block the beam with his wind shield, but the Central wizard's mana density far surpassed his own.
With the explosion, Thalendir's staff flew from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground in agony. When the referee ended the match, Thalendir stared at his staff on the ground, stunned by the realization that he had never felt so helpless in the face of the Central Kingdom's power. His pride was completely shattered.
The day's most anticipated match—the one that had split the Eastern Academy in two—had arrived:
Revia (Ice Mage) vs. Rota (Star Mage).
The two friends took their places at opposite ends of the arena amid the screams of thousands.Rota ran a hand through his hair and grinned.
"Hey Revia, I was hoping we wouldn't face each other this far in the tournament, but... I know you won't go easy on me, so I won't hold back either!"
Revia gripped her staff tightly as a deep seriousness appeared in her blue eyes.
"Going easy on you would be an insult to your talent, Rota. Come at me with everything you've got."
Rota closed his eyes at the very first moment of the battle:
"Star Calendar: Instant Vision!"
Golden stardust began to swirl around him. He could see the future seconds in advance.Revia struck her staff against the ground:
Massive icicles shot up from the ground and surged toward Rota. Guided by the future, Rota leaped to the side just in time, then, seeing the moment Revia would appear behind her, fired a burst of light in that direction.
But Revia had anticipated this! Just as Rota's light spell was about to reach its target, she didn't move from her spot and cast an ice spell around herself
"Mirrors of Ice"
Rota's light struck these mirrors, shattering and scattering a blinding wave of light across the entire arena.As the spectators squinted against the light, Revia began the grand spell that would freeze the entire arena:
"Absolute Zero!"
The arena's marble floor was covered in a thick layer of ice within seconds. Even if Rota could see the future, he couldn't find a way to escape; wherever he stepped, his feet sank into the ice. The cold began to slow Rota's movement speed and mana flow.Gritting his teeth, Rota made one final move. He pointed his staff toward the sky and unleashed all his mana:
"Star Shower!"
Dozens of golden beams of light began raining down from above like arrows onto Revia.Revia didn't flee. Swirling her staff above his head, he formed a massive "Crystal Dome." The stars exploded upon striking the dome, but they couldn't pierce the thick layer of ice. Rota was gasping for breath after this massive attack, and his mana was nearly depleted.
As the dome slowly dissipated, Revia stood unscathed before him. The tip of her staff was aimed directly at Rota's chest. The golden glow around Rota had faded. He smiled weakly and raised his hands.
"I had seen myself winning in the future, but... I hadn't accounted for your power. I concede."
The referee raised his hand:
"The winner: Revia of the Eastern Academy!"